Sera shouted as she swung her trusty sword, Crimson Eclipse. The blade impacted the tree she was attacking and fell out of her hand, clattering to the ground. She bit back a curse and picked the weapon up again.
Several days have passed since she awoke in the Xiao Long house, and she still hasn't recovered. No one knew why her wound hasn't been healed by her aura yet, but it wasn't. And it ticked her off.
She usually spent her time by trying to practice her swordplay or exploring the forest with Ruby. Wasn't much else to do around here.
Yang still moped around the house, depressing her family and Sera even further.
The amnesiac was getting angry. Every time she swung her sword, sharp pains lit up her body and ruined her practice. She knew she should be taking it easier and resting, but that wasn't on her list of priorities. Every time her weapon collided with the tree trunk, images of the Fall of Beacon filled her head.
Wham!
She saw herself cutting Grimm down.
Wham!
She tackled Cinder in the lower floors of Beacon Tower.
Wham!
Her and Cinder's swords clashed.
Wham!
A literal stabbing pain in her gut.
She'd just reared back to swing again when a familiar voice and broke her concentration. "You keep this up, you'll be in even worse shape than you were before."
Sera turned her head to see Qrow leaning against a tree, flask in hand. She ignored the huntsman and swung her sword.
"What do you want, old man?" Sera asked as she leaned onto her sword. Qrow corked his flask and pocketed it, "Came here to tell you it's lunch time. And that you should stop whatever you're doing."
"Why's that?" She asked and swung again. The huntsman sighed, "Because you may not care about your own well being right now, but others do. Namely, a certain pair of young ladies."
Sera hesitated at that.
"Look kid, I get it. I do. You're probably thinkin' that the quicker you get well again, the quicker you can track down Cinder and make sure what happened that night doesn't happen again. And trust me, it won't work. I've been trying to track her since Amber was attacked, and I never got close. So, I know you're not going to. The best thing for you to do right now is chill out and rest."
Sera knew he was right. She wasn't gonna admit it, though. With a heavy sigh, she sheathed her weapon and carried it with one hand, heading back to the house. Qrow shrugged his shoulders and followed. He seemed to have gotten through to her.
. . .
Sera was laying in her temporary bedroom, listening to music from her scroll while staring up at the ceiling when a knock came to her door. The white head looked over to see Yang standing in the doorway in her pajamas. Sera pulled her earphones out and picked her head up, "Hey."
"Mind if I come in?" She asked. Sera gestured towards her bed, and the blond went to sit on it.
"What's on your mind?" Sera asked, sitting up. Yang bit her bottom lip, "I miss them. Blake and Weiss, JNPR, everyone. It's not the same anymore."
Sera nodded in understanding. She knew that Yang still resented Blake for leaving, but perhaps she was just saying that so they wouldn't start an argument over the Faunus' reasons for leaving. Then Yang met her eyes, "But I miss you the most. We've barely talked for the past week, and our rooms are right next to each other. I know I haven't been…myself. But you could at least stop by, y'know?" She said with a small hint of humor.
"I thought you could use some space," Sera said. It was true. The last time they really spoke, Yang was impatient with her and dismissed her presence.
"Yeah, well… I don't need space from you, or Ruby." She said. Sera nodded in response.
"I got you something…" Yang said, pulling a wooden case from behind her. Sera didn't even notice that she was hiding something. But the case looked familiar. The grain of the wood reminded her of something, but she couldn't place what.
"I'd open it for you, but my hand is full." Yang gave a small smirk and slightly moved her severed arm in her sleeve.
"R-right." Sera said and took the case. She gently popped the latch and lifted the lid. Sunlight reflected off the metal as her eyes widened. Sitting the case was the old-fashioned revolver that she'd looked at during her shopping excursion with Coco Adel.
"How did…?" Sera asked.
"Coco told me that you were admiring it, and that the shopkeeper would hold it for you whenever you wanted it. I figured I'd…get it as a gift for us making it so far in the Vytal Tournament." Yang said meekly. Her cheeks colored while she explained herself.
Sera gripped the handle of the weapon and lifted it out of its case. She instinctively twirled it on her finger and allowed herself a small smile. The silver engravings on the barrel and cylinder shone in the light.
"Thank you, Yang. It…means a lot." Sera said. Yang nodded with a small smile. Sera placed the gun back in its case and set it aside. She took Yang's hand into hers and smiled.
"So, Xiao Long, about what you did before we split at the tower…" Sera said with a teasing smirk. Redness spread across the blonde's face at the mention of it.
"What about it?" Yang said with false bravado. Sera grinned and leaned forward to hug her teammate, catching Yang off-guard. She soon returned the hug with a smile.
"Told you you had a thing for me," Sera smiled.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't admit to it, now could I?" Yang said after they separated. Then Sera got to her feet, still holding onto Yang's hand, "C'mon, let's get somethin' to eat or something. Get you to rejoin the family."
Yang gave in and allowed her teammate to pull her out of the room and down the stairs. Needless to say, this talk went better than Yang expected it to.
. . .
In an extremely dark castle on the other side of Remnant, a pale woman with red eyes and white hair in an ornate style sat upon a black throne, overlooking a long table with several individuals sitting at it.
Cinder Fall looked horrible. She was barely conscious, she wore an eyepatch, and her hair was short, covering the side of her face with the eyepatch. Tyrian, a crazed scorpion Faunus, sat across from her with an insane smile on his face.
"Cinder," the woman on the throne said, her voice gaining the attention of everyone present.
Cinder couldn't speak. Literally. Her vocal cords were damaged.
"One more time," Salem said. "Did you kill Ozpin?" The new Fall Maiden managed to let out a raspy "yes."
"Good." Salem relaxed into her seat. "And what of…her?"
Cinder tried to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, she shook her head once. Salem gripped the armrests of her throne tightly. After a moment, she relaxed again.
"That girl," The sorceress said with a sigh. "Is truly her father's daughter."
"Yes…" Doctor Watts, a mustachioed man in a suit asked. "And what of her father?" Salem turned her attention to him coldly. "In the wind. He hasn't been seen for months."
"Naturally," Watts sighed. Salem rested her chin against her hand, "Indeed. But what do we do about young Sera, I wonder?"
"I can take care of her, mistress!" Tyrian ventured. Salem regarded the Faunus coldly, "No." She said. "For now, we secure our forces and ensure that the next part of the plan goes accordingly. Sera is not a threat at the moment, thanks to our new Fall Maiden."
Cinder nodded. Watts spoke up, "But she couldn't kill her, could she? That silver-eyed girl interrupted."
Salem's eyes glowed brighter, "Ah yes, her. I have a plan for that particular child as well." She said coldly.
. . .
"How many more of these do we have to watch, Ruby?" Taiyang asked with a groan. Ruby excitedly whipped her head around as she swapped the DVD they'd just watched with a new one. The young huntress was forcing Sera to watch a literal ton of action movies, but she'd roped in everyone else to do so as well.
"Ruby, I swear if this is another Die Hard movie—" Yang groaned.
"It's not! It's much better!" Ruby grinned as she took her seat besides Qrow. Sera smiled at the girl's excited behavior. It lifted the entire house out of its funk and brought a general peace.
Sera shifted her hand under the blanket that covered her and Yang until she interlaced her fingers with the brawler's. Yang gave a small smile at the gesture, then immediately groaned when the 'main menu' for Live Free and Die Hard came onto the holographic screen.
The purple-eyed huntress didn't mind. She was just enjoying the moment. Ruby shook excitedly with her eyes glued to the screen. Sera wasn't really enjoying these Die Hard movies all that much. She preferred a more comedic action movie after watching all three Rush Hour films. Nonetheless, she sucked it up so it wouldn't ruin Ruby's day. After all, this movie marathon was dedicated to her for having all memory of television movies and shows wiped away.
During the current movie, Sera stood to go get another refreshment, but something caught her eye. A box set full of DVD cases. The box had an animated picture of a muscular man with dark blue hair and clothes to match, and a blond man with red eyes and fangs holding what appeared to be a stone mask beside the muscle guy.
"What's this?" Sera asked, holding up the box set. Ruby's eyes filled with barely controlled excitement and joy.
Qrow, Tai, and Yang spoke at the same time, "No!"
Sera flinched slightly and set the box down, "Fine, jeez!" Then went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of People Like Grapes soda. When she returned, she halted to take in the scene. Tai was sitting with his arms crossed and a playful smirk on his face as he watched the movie. Ruby was laying on her stomach on the floor, her legs swinging and her chin resting on her hands. Qrow was passed out with his flask in his hand.
Then Yang met her eyes and smiled. Sera returned it and went to take her seat beside the blond.
Well, she thought. Things could be worse.
. . .
The weeks passed by quickly. From now on, every day, Sera would wake up, get dressed, and go spend the whole day with Yang or Ruby or both of them at the same time. She and Ruby explored the forest near the house, watched cheesy movies, or tried to do some combat training. She and Yang usually hung out in the blonde's room or Sera would help her adjust to life without an arm. There have been several times where Yang would have nightmares and wake up screaming, and the only ones who can calm her down are Sera or Ruby. The amnesiac never had to play this sort of role, that she knew of, but she got used to it rather quickly.
Her stab wound also finally healed after a few weeks, so Sera was quick to get back on her feet and train again. Every day, she went outside to practice her swordplay or work on her aim with the gift Yang had given her. She liked to time and test herself with the revolver. She was getting faster with drawing the gun and aiming it from the hip to shoot with deadly accuracy. Ruby gave her the idea after they watched Tombstone.
In no time at all, snow began to fall and cover the ground, trees, and house. Qrow thought it was funny to call her 'Snowball', then throw an actual snowball at her head. She'd respond by drawing her new revolver and firing it off at the huntsman's feet.
But with the snow falling, it meant time was running out. Ruby was about to enact her plan, and Sera still had a decision to make.
The amnesiac sat at the kitchen table and idly spun an empty People Like Grapes bottle on the tabletop. With a groan, she stood and began to make her way upstairs. She smiled lightly at the pain she had endured simply going up and down the stairs with her wound. Now that it was healed, she could ascend and descend with confidence.
She passed by Ruby's room to see the younger girl packing items into a hiking backpack. The scythe wielder had just dropped a large bag full of cookies when Sera knocked on her open door. Ruby jolted, startled.
"Oh, h-hey Sera," She said and made an attempt to hide the bag under her bed. Sera raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, staying silent. Ruby rolled her silver eyes and pulled the backpack back out.
"When do you plan on leaving?" Sera finally asked. Ruby stared at the floor for a moment. The amnesiac took in the sight of her team leader. In the many weeks that she'd been staying at the Xiao Long house, Ruby had changed. It was like she finally hit puberty. Her body had become slightly curvier and her chest had developed, well, you know. She was a bit taller as well.
Yang, however, seemed to be the opposite. She seemed to finally grow into her own body, becoming more athletic looking, as if she were a professional sports player.
Ruby tapped the floor with her toe, "Sometime this month. I was packing early so I wouldn't have to later."
"…You know those cookies will probably become stale by time that happens?" Sera smirked.
Ruby glanced to the window, "…Haven't really thought about it."
The amnesiac chuckled and approached Ruby, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you want to do this. You might have to. But… you do know that people need you here too, right?"
Ruby nodded and met Sera's eyes, "I know. But we do have to do this. JNPR and I have to finish our training one way or another, and this is the best way. Plus, Sun and the others will be at Haven, so we have friends there already."
Sera lowered her hand and smiled while shaking her head as if she were amused. "You're right. But that doesn't mean you're not a little wrong, either."
"The offer's still on the table, you know. You could come with us. I know Nora would enjoy that," Ruby smiled.
Sera looked to the side and out the window, gazing at the falling snow. "Yeah. But… I think it'd be better to stay here. We can't both go and leave Yang. Couldn't do that to her. Not after…" Sera said and rubbed her right arm at the elbow.
Ruby looked down in obvious disappointment. "You're right. Gonna suck to not have that sword of yours with us, though." A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Sera laughed lightly and put a hand in her pocket, "Yeah, it'd be fun, wouldn't it? Exploring the countryside of Mistral with friends. Fighting for our lives and sleeping in the cold. All that jazz."
Ruby placed her backpack into her closet and smiled, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Just don't leave without saying goodbye, okay?" Sera gave a lopsided smile. The scythe wielder smiled and shut her closet doors, "Promise."
A few seconds of silence passed, then Sera gestured behind her and at the door. "Guess I'll go check on Yang. She's been acting a bit funny lately. Well, funnier than usual."
Ruby nodded, "Right. See you for dinner?" Sera smiled before closing the door, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Ruby snickered, then Sera shut the door and left her alone in the bedroom.
"Hey, kid." Qrow said from beside Sera. She nearly jumped straight into the ceiling. "Gods, old man! Nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The elder scythe wielder smirked, "If only. Then I wouldn't have to deal with you anymore."
"Ha, ha."
"Anyway," Qrow said. "I know about Ruby's little trip to Mistral. I know she asked you to go with her. But are you?"
Sera shook her head after a moment. "I'd like to. But I'm not gonna leave Yang here alone. She's having a hard time and with, well, you know why."
The huntsman nodded. "Yang's a tough gal. But I'm thinkin' maybe it's for the best that you don't go, so that there'll be two huntsmen here in case anything happens."
Sera quirked her eyebrow, "You're going somewhere? Or is Tai not as tough as he looks?" Qrow smirked in response, "Actually, Tai was the strongest member on my team. He'll probably whip your hide as easily as he would cook an egg. But that's not the point. Yes, I'm not stickin' around."
"Where're you going?"
"Take a guess."
Sera glanced at Ruby's door then back at Qrow with a raised eyebrow. Qrow nodded in response, "Someone's gotta make sure they don't get into too much trouble. Plus, I've got to go to Mistral as well. Business to tend to."
"Right. I wouldn't worry too much about them. The five of them will be pretty tough with Pyrrha and Nora around."
"Heh, yeah. But still, it's a long journey. They might just need all the help they can get."
Sera nodded. "True. Well, I'm not sure when she's leaving, but I'll give you a heads up if I find out." She said as she turned to go to her room.
"Appreciate it, kid." Qrow thanked just as Sera entered the bedroom.
"Just watch out for them, old man."
Qrow smirked, put his hands in his pockets, and made his way downstairs.
Upon entering her room, Sera immediately peeled off her leather coat and dropped it on her bed as she went towards the bathroom. After taking a long shower, she stepped back into the bedroom and opened the closet. She glanced between the racks of clothes and the red coat on her bed. Making a quick decision, she picked out something a little old-school. Sera put on a familiar pair of white pants, a purple tank top, a purple belt with an Omega symbol belt buckle, and a stylish white jacket with purple trim. She put on her leather gun belt and holstered Yang's gift weapon.
She smiled to herself as she pulled on a pair of black combat boots. She stood to look at herself in the mirror inside her closet, and her expression faltered. Sera pulled her tank top up several inches until she saw it. The ugly scar that now resided between the bottom of her ribcage and her belly button. Her aura had finally healed the wound and taken away the pain, but she now had this scar to commemorate it. With a sigh, she straightened her top and looked into her own eyes. Her violet irises stared back at her, then she glanced at the scar over her right eye. Images from her battle against the Minotaur Grimm flashed in her mind, then she chewed her bottom lip and stepped away from the mirror.
She exited her bedroom and went to see Yang. With her mind so shaken up from reminiscing on her battle scars, she forgot to knock, and walked right into the brawler's bedroom.
"Whoa!" Yang exclaimed, covering herself. She'd been changing clothes. Luckily, she was at least sort of decent looking. She wore black pants unbuttoned and had a bra on, but she was having trouble getting it secure.
"Sorry! I forgot to knock," Sera apologized and averted her eyes. Yang relaxed a little and tried to keep her clothing straight. "It's fine, I'm just…having a little trouble. Putting on clothes isn't too easy anymore," She chuckled, embarrassed and saddened at struggling to do something as simple as changing clothes.
Sera looked up to see Yang still struggling to hook her bra, her free hand desperately working the undergarment. "Here, let me help." Sera said and went around behind the brawler, quickly hooking the bra together so Yang could relax. She then buttoned her pants for her and turned to find a yellow tank top on her bed. Sera grabbed it and handed it to her, helping her to put it over her head.
Yang sighed finally with red cheeks, "Thanks. You have no idea how long it takes to get dressed in the morning."
"No problem. I never put any thought to it. Sorry, I could've helped if you wanted." Sera replied as they took a seat on the edge of Yang's bed.
"Eh, don't worry about it. I've gotta learn how to dress myself now anyway. Guess I still haven't gotten it down after all this time." She chuckled. "I usually just wear sweatpants and a shirt."
"I noticed," Sera said. "So, uh, whatcha dressed up for then? If you call a tank top being dressed up."
Yang snickered. "Well, Dad went to town to pick up some groceries and stuff, so I figured you and I could get out of the house for a bit."
"What about Ruby?"
"Qrow said he was gonna spar with her for a bit and possibly search for Grimm to fight or whatever. Something about not getting rusty."
"Right, right. So? What you got planned?" Sera looked over at Yang.
"Wanna go to town?"
Sera smiled. She was happy that Yang was wanting to get out of the house for once. Usually all the blond does is sulk around the house. The white head was afraid that Yang was too far into depression or something to do much else.
"I'd like that." She said and bumped her shoulder into Yang's.
"Good. We'll leave as soon as I put on my jacket." Yang smiled and stood.
"Quick question, though. How are we getting there?" Sera asked curiously.
. . .
"If you wreck, I will kill you." Yang told the amnesiac. They were currently standing inside a small shed behind the house. A large sheet of weather resistant fabric was draped over a long and narrow object.
"Wreck?" Sera blinked. Yang pulled off the fabric to reveal bright yellow motorcycle that obviously had a lot of care put into it. The vehicle was low to the ground, sleek, and built for speed and agility.
Sera gasped at the motorcycle and glanced at Yang, "This is yours?"
"Yep. Meet Bumblebee, my pride and joy." Yang grinned. "She's been through a lot."
"And you want me to drive this? With you on it? How are you, uh, gonna stay on?"
"Don't worry, I can hold onto you just fine with one arm. Just keep your balance and don't do anything crazy."
"You realize who you're talking to?"
"Which is why if you do anything to my precious, I'll happily feed you to the Grimm. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am." Sera grinned and went around the side of the bike.
In no time at all, they were speeding down the snowy road in the forest. Sera was disappointed that she couldn't bring her sword, just in case she needed it, but it'd make the ride awkward and uncomfortable. So she left it behind. Yang was comfortably riding on the back with her arm hooked around Sera's waist. The amnesiac grinned and twisted the throttle on the bike, speeding up. It took almost no time for her to get used to driving the vehicle. Yang told her she was a natural.
"You sure you haven't driven one of these before?" Yang shouted over the wind.
"Yeah, back in the city of Vacuo! Downtown was a mess." Sera replied, then blinked hard.
"What?" Yang asked.
"I… I don't know where that came from." She said. It was the truth. She just said it as naturally as she would anything else. "I think that was from my past!" She shouted over the rushing wind. Yang nodded in understanding.
But now wasn't the time to think about it. She had to focus on not crashing. So, they continued down the road, occasionally slipping on the snow-covered road.
It took several minutes to reach the small town near the Xiao Long house, but they finally arrived. Sera pulled Bumblebee up to a little café at Yang's request, and the pair was soon sitting across from each other with mugs of hot chocolate to warm themselves up.
"So, does this mean you're getting more memories back?" Yang asked. Sera set down the mug in her hands and looked up, "Maybe. I don't know. But that thing about Vacuo just came out of nowhere. I don't even remember anything about Vacuo or Shade, apart from those few dreams back at Beacon."
Yang nodded and looked out a window. "Ruby's leaving." She said after several moments.
"Yeah… I know." Sera replied. "Going to Mistral with JNPR."
"What about you?" she asked. Sera shook her head, "Nah. I'm staying here. There's nothing for me in Mistral. Plus I couldn't leave behind my favorite airhead, now could I?"
Yang smirked and sipped her coco. "Not much to do around here. Just warning you." Sera gave a lopsided smile, "Yeah. But it's better than sleeping on the ground and fighting Grimm."
"I thought you liked fighting Grimm, Snowball." Yang smiled.
"That was back… back at Beacon. It's different now." Sera looked into her cup.
Yang frowned slightly. "Hey. Cheer up. I know things aren't the same as before, but it'll be okay." The blond reached across the table and took Sera's hand into hers. Sera gave a smile at the gesture, "Yeah. You're probably right."
Then she remembered what she, Qrow, and Tai had talked about the day she woke up in their house. She remembered Salem, the Maidens, and about her and Ruby being the 'two best shots we have at Salem' as they put it.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked. Sera didn't realize she was scowling. After a moment, she replied, "I saw Ruby's mom's grave. She took me there."
Yang's expression saddened. "Oh." Was all she said.
"Yeah. She was a good woman, wasn't she?"
"The best. Basically, super mom. Ruby looks exactly like her, too. She might as well be a clone. She isn't technically my mom, but she was more of a mom than my real one ever was." She said with bitterness in her voice at the end.
"Wanna talk about it?" Sera asked. Yang scowled, then her expression relaxed. "Yeah," She said with a sigh. The amnesiac sat at attention, ready to listen.
"Well. As you know, I've been looking for her. But it's not because I want her attention or love. She left my dad and I out of nowhere when I was little. From what my dad and Qrow told me, she's never exactly been… the best person in the world. Supposedly, she runs a group of bandits somewhere in Mistral. So yeah, not exactly mom of the year."
Sera took in what she had to say and glanced at the table momentarily. "Do you know why she left in the first place?"
Yang's fist clenched. "That's what I intend on asking her."
Then the door to the café flew open and crashed against a wall. The huntresses turned to find out what happened while everyone else inside let out startled yelps and shouts.
A pair of men walked into the café and searched the crowd. The first one was a tall Faunus with large ram's horns and rippling muscles while the other one was human. He wore a black coat that reached his ankles and held a large two-handed sword in his hand. The Faunus was easily six-foot-eight. His arms were as thick as Sera's waist, and he wore nothing but a pair of dark green trousers with large boots. Guess they didn't have a shirt in his size, Sera thought.
The second guy was average height with spiky orange hair and his sword easily dwarfed Crimson Eclipse. It was at least seven feet long and as wide as the head of Nora's hammer. It reminded Sera of a sword from a videogame. She believed it was called a 'buster' sword or something?
They looked hostile, but something else came to mind. Both of them were meant for open-space combat, and they were currently in close quarters.
The Faunus' eyes fell on Sera and narrowed. The smaller guy hefted his sword and smirked as she sized up the pair of huntresses before them.
With a quick glance to Yang, Sera said, "Run."
Of course, she didn't listen. The ram Faunus stepped forward as his eyes once again swept over the crowd of people inside the café.
"Been looking for you." He said. His voice was low and deep.
"And who might you pair of…gentlemen be?" Sera asked, unflinching.
"Nobody important. But your mom sends her regards." The second guy said. That caused Sera to hesitate. Before she could ask anything else, she suddenly wasn't there.
Her back slammed into the wall behind her as the Faunus charged forward and punched her.
"Sera!" Yang exclaimed, then glared at them. Writing off Yang as a harmless bystander, due to her missing arm, was a mistake on the bad guys' part. Before the Faunus, who Sera had decided to call Horns, could attack again, a fist flew out of nowhere and sent him through the window.
The guy with the sword looked to Yang to find her eyes glowing red and her hair aflame with aura. He swung his sword at her, but Sera appeared out of literally nowhere and caught the large blade.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Sera wagged a finger at him, then slammed her knee into his gut. The guy's aura took the blow, but he still doubled over, allowing Sera to grab his coat and throw him out the window and into the street.
"Who are these guys?" Yang asked after her eyes returned to lilac and her hair got un-flamey.
"No idea. But they're after me, apparently. You said Tai was in town, right? I need you to go find him and bring him here. I'll hold off Horns and Sword Guy." Sera told her.
"No way, I'm not leaving you here." Yang said. Sera resisted rolling her eyes, "Yang, I hate to say it, but without Ember Celica or your, ahem, arm, you're not going to be much help. Tai, however…" She said.
"Fine!" Yang groaned. She knew her teammate was right. "But you don't have your sword either. How are you gonna hold em off?"
Sera grinned and drew her revolver, spinning it on her finger. "My dear, you've provided me with all I need to handle these jokers."
Yang couldn't help but smile. She nodded and hugged Sera, then jumped out the window to find Taiyang. "Don't die!" She shouted.
Sera smirked and hopped out the window to find her assailants facing her down. She holstered her gun and grinned at them. They were on one side of the street, she was on the other.
"Now, if I were an old-timey gunslinger in one of those movies, I'd say…" She mused, then both of her attackers charged. "It's high noon," She said.
She immediately drew the black revolver and hammer-fired all the entire cylinder into both of them before they reached her. Their auras absorbed the Dust rounds, and Sera jumped over them to land on the side of the street they'd just charged from. She was going to reload, but Sword Guy was already on top of her.
His eyes narrowed as he swung his massive sword into Sera. But the blade was suddenly halted! Sera grinned and pushed back against his weapon. She'd caught the blade on the barrel of her gun as easily as she would have with Crimson Eclipse.
"Tell me about this sword. You compensating for something?" She quipped. Then she was promptly slammed in the side by Horns's body. Sera grunted as she tumbled across the pavement and came to a stop. She looked up just in time to see a massive boot coming down on her chest. Before she even thought of using her semblance, the boot stomped her midsection and pressed down. Hard. Right on the wound that had just healed.
Sera clenched her jaw and tried to pry the foot off of her, but it was useless. This Faunus was far stronger than she. Horns smiled coldly as he pressed down harder, eliciting a scream from Sera as her aura began to fail. She'd just healed from a near fatal injury, and she was hardly ready for combat just yet. Sure, she thought she was ready, but the only training she'd done recently was practicing her swordplay and aim. She'd neglected to spar.
"This is the girl that stood up to a Maiden? Please." Horns laughed. Sword Guy appeared beside him, his weapon resting on his shoulder.
'Raise your foot again and we'll see,' She smirked.
"I wouldn't lower your guard if I were you," Sword Guy said. "This is the mistress's daughter, after all." Horns looked over at his companion with a scowl, "She's just a kid. No threat to Salem or us, for that matter."
Sera laughed, drawing both of their attention. "If you think for one second that I'm not a threat to you chumps, then you're even dumber than you look, big guy."
That got the reaction she wanted. Horns scowled and raised his foot to stomp her again. "Big mistake," She smiled.
Everything came to a halt around Sera as the Faunus released her from his hold. She got to her feet and looked between the two.
'Alright. I can't do this for very long at the moment. Thanks, Cinder. So let's see…' She thought, then grinned. The huntress quickly took the sword from Sword Guy, placed him under Horns' boot, then retreated several feet back threw the large sword at the Faunus. The weapon stopped in midair hallway to him and froze. Sera smirked and retrieved her gun, just as time resumed.
Horns's foot slammed down onto Sword Guy's chest the massive sword collided with the Faunus as if on cue. Sera laughed as she reloaded her weapon. Both of her assailants were on the ground, and she casually approached both of them.
The amnesiac panted slightly as she got closer to them. She didn't want to show it but using her semblance expended a lot of her stamina. The two men got to their feet and towered over Sera, who grinned at each of them while spinning her gun on her finger.
'Really gotta come up with a name for this thing,' She thought. Then Horns glanced at Sword Guy for a second and rushed the amnesiac. She ducked under his giant arm and fired a round into his chest. The Faunus' aura took the brunt of the attack, but he still looked surprised.
A sword flew out of nowhere and Sera was forced to dodge out of the way. The massive weapon attacked the ground where she had just stood, breaking up the concrete as if Nora had just stomped the ground.
Sera had to go on the defensive now. She was being attacked by both enemies at once and could barely do much else. But after catching the large leg of Horns with her hands, she threw him back and hammer-fired several rounds into Sword Guy's weapon. The sword went off course and missed her, cleaving a light pole in two. The huntress decided to go with hand-to-hand combat while using her gun. She'd punch and kick each of them while firing round after round, gradually lowering their aura.
After a particularly powerful attack to Horns's leg, he buckled and fell to one knee. Seeing this, Sera rushed forward, and pistol whipped the Faunus. She glanced to the side just in time to see a massive sword flying towards her.
From Sword Guy's perspective, he was swinging his sword at her, knowing this would be an extremely powerful blow to her. It may even deplete her aura so they could finally grab her and return to Salem's castle.
Then, before his sword could even come into contact with her, she was gone. In a blink, she was suddenly standing beside him, her gun to his head.
"Too slow," She smirked, then fired. The man's aura barely blocked the Dust round, and he was thrown to the ground from the force of the bullet. Sera holstered her gun, turned, and was suddenly in the air with something closed around her throat.
Horns had his giant fist holding her aloft while all she could do was try to pry the thing off of her and struggle to breathe. The Faunus smiled while she tried to kick him, but her legs just couldn't reach. Redness surrounded Sera's vision, and she could feel herself about to pass out from lack of oxygen. Her aura tried to do something, anything, but the one thing that aura can't do is provide air.
She heard Horns laughing as his fist tightened and Sera let out a whimper of pain. Just when she gave up hope of fighting back, something brown and yellow slammed into the Faunus. He dropped the huntress to the ground, Sera clutching her throat and coughing while she tried to clear her vision. What she eventually saw was quite terrifying.
Taiyang Xiao Long was fighting both the men with extreme ease. He used only his fists, and it was more than enough to take both of them. Sera's vision was swimming with blackness, but every time it cleared enough for her to see, the fight was progressively getting worse for the baddies. Sword Guy now laid on the concrete, his own weapon embedded in his chest. Horns was missing one of his horns and was desperately trying to beat his new opponent.
A familiar blond helped Sera to her feet and put one of her arms around their shoulders for support.
"That's it, I gotcha," Yang told her as they stood. Sera looked over to see Tai was standing behind Horns, who was on his knees, with both arms locked around the Faunus' large head and neck. He was talking to him, but neither Sera nor Yang could hear what was being said.
"Took you long enough," Sera coughed. Yang looked over at her, "Yeah, well, dad was hard to find."
Then a very audible crack was heard as Tai twisted the Faunus' neck clockwise. The large body of Horns was heard dropping to the ground, and Taiyang was making his way back to his daughter.
"Are you two all right?" He asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you." Sera thanked and managed to stand on her own. Her aura was letting her recover quickly. Tai nodded, "Come on. We better get back to the house. Now."
Then the three of them did just that. Taiyang drove a car down the snowy road to his house while Sera and Yang followed behind on Bumblebee. They quickly got into the house and out of the cold. Tai carried a stack of boxes in his arms and dumped them onto the kitchen table.
"Who were those guys? And why were they after Sera?" Yang asked frantically. Tai shook his head, "I don't know. The Faunus wouldn't tell me anything." He said, but he shot Sera a look. She nodded in response, understanding what he meant. Salem sent them after her, she knew that. But was she trying to kill her, or abduct her?
"Maybe they're with Cinder. She's trying to finish the job." Sera suggested. Yang shook her head, as if she remembered something. "One of them said something about your…mother? What was that about?"
Sera shook her head and shrugged, "Beats me. I think they were just talking crazy." Tai gave a curt nod at Sera. She hated it, but the less others new of her little 'situation', the better.
That's when Ruby appeared in the doorway with Qrow behind her. "What happened?" She asked.
"Sera and I were attacked in town!" Yang replied. Ruby's eyes widened and Qrow shot a look at Tai. "Are you okay?" Ruby asked. Sera nodded and rubbed her neck where the ram Faunus grabbed her, "Yeah don't worry, your dad saved my hide."
"Hey, you fought them off pretty well. Despite just now recovering, you did pretty well out there." Tai complimented. Sera gave a small smile at the praise, then laced her fingers together and rested her hands behind her head. "I was pretty good, wasn't I?"
Tai and Qrow chuckled, but Ruby and Yang still looked worried.
"They were after Sera, for some reason. Barely paid attention to me," Yang said. Ruby turned and looked to her father, "What do we do then? More could show up for her."
"Don't worry, kid. No one's going to find this house. Especially if they don't know where to look," Qrow said. Sera quirked an eyebrow, "They knew where to look in town earlier."
Qrow seemed to consider this, "Maybe they got lucky. There's no telling how long they've been in town."
"A possibility. But still, she's not safe here. We should find somewhere for her to go till things die down." Tai commented. Sera and Ruby met each other's eyes.
"Things aren't going to die down, Tai. It's only going to get worse out there, you know that." Qrow shot back. Taiyang sighed and crossed his arms, "Well, what do you suggest then?"
"Uh, I have an idea." Ruby raised her hand.
. . .
Sera sighed as she packed clothes and supplies into a backpack. After Ruby told everyone her plan of going to Mistral, the amnesiac was to begin packing. Tai was reluctant about letting anyone leave in the first place, but he eventually relented. After all, no one could come up with a better plan. Team JNPR would be showing up any day now.
After dumping several boxes of Dust rounds and crystals into the bag, she sealed it up and placed it into her closet. She was packed for a long trip. Several changes of clothes, a medical pack, protein bars, a canteen (gifted to her by Qrow), and Dust now resided inside the large hiking backpack.
Yang was the most disappointed that Sera was leaving, but Ruby was ecstatic. The blond brawler leaned against a wall in Sera's room with a thoughtful look on her face.
"You sure you gotta go?" she asked. Sera put out a set of warmer clothes for the cold weather and sighed, "I don't want to, really. But if I do, people will stop searching Patch for me. They'll find this place eventually. I don't care what Qrow says."
"Still. I'm sure you could handle anyone who comes your way. Especially since Dad's here."
Sera chuckled and closed her closet after removing her white jacket. "Yeah. But I'd rather my presence not put you in harm's way." Yang idly traced her finger along the wall, "True. I just don't want anyone else to leave. First Blake, then Weiss, now you and Ruby are leaving." She said sadly.
Sera looked up at her and stood. Approaching her teammate, Sera put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll be back. Before you know it, you'll be annoying me with your bad puns again."
Yang punched Sera in the shoulder. The amnesiac grinned and massaged her now wounded shoulder with her hand. "My puns are not bad," Yang smiled.
"They're a pun-ishment," Sera grinned. She then got punched again. Yang laughed, then her expression turned sad and she looked down. "What?" Sera asked. Yang shook her head, "Just gonna miss this."
The purple-eyed huntress nodded, "Me too." They stood in silence for several moments before a knock came to the door. Ruby poked her head in, "Hey. A letter from Jaune just came in. They're gonna be here tomorrow." Sera nodded in response, "Thanks, Ruby."
Then the scythe wielder disappeared, leaving Yang and Sera alone again.
"Sooner than I thought," Yang mumbled. Sera put a hand on her shoulder again and squeezed. "Hey, it'll all be fine." The brawler met her eyes and couldn't help but smirk at Sera's face. "If you say so, Snowball."
Sera smiled, "There she is."
"So now what?" Yang asked after a moment. The amnesiac returned her hand to her side and looked out the window, "Now, I guess I go to Mistral with Ruby and the others. What about you?"
The brawler bit her bottom lip, "I dunno yet. I guess stay here with dad. And… thank you." Sera then looked over to her and quirked her eyebrow. Yang took a deep breath, "Losing my arm has been hard. I have flashbacks to that night, nightmares that wake me up in cold sweat, and sometimes my hand spasms. Phantom pain is real, you know. I can still feel my arm." She said and looked down at her missing limb. She was probably "flexing" her fingers or "bending" her arm. Then she looked up to meet Sera's eyes, "And you've helped a lot just by being here. I don't know how I'd be if you weren't here. Probably much, much worse. So, thanks."
Sera smiled, "You're welcome, Yang. I'm glad I helped. I know it hasn't been easy, but I know you can pull through. Given your, ah, personality."
"What was that?" Yang's eyes flashed red. Sera only laughed, and Yang's expression softened.
"That's what I'm talking about, Xiao Long. You're gonna be fine, whether I stay or go."
Yang gave a nod as Sera turned to head for the door, "C'mon, I bet Tai's making a mean lunch right about now." Then Sera was suddenly spun around by a strong hand. Her body pressed against Yang's as the familiar sensation of lips crashed against her own overtook her. Sera's eyes widened to see Yang's eyes squeezed shut as she pulled her body against Sera's with her one arm. Sera soon relaxed into it and put her arms around Yang's waist. When they separated, Yang smiled at Sera's red face.
"Like you said, let's go get some lunch." Yang said then released Sera and headed out of the door. Sera smiled and touched her lips before following the blond.
The day passed quickly into night, and before she knew it, Sera was laying in her bed with the covers pulled up to her chest. It was near midnight now. The huntress had been laying in bed for hours, still not tired. She stared up at the ceiling, too anxious to sleep. The trip to Mistral was going to be long and hard, but she had to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps on the way there or in Mistral, she'd find news of Cinder's whereabouts. Despite being afraid of the new Maiden's powers, she still had a score to settle.
A knock to the door shook her from her thoughts. She looked over to see Yang standing in the doorway in her night clothes, which consisted of pajama pants and a yellow tank top.
"Hey," Sera said in a low voice. Yang entered the room, "Hey. You, uh, you mind if I stay in here tonight? I kinda…had a pretty bad dream." Taken aback by the request, Sera blinked. Then again. Finally, she said, "Yeah, 'course. Come on." She scooted over and held the blankets up. With a thankful expression, Yang got into the bed and pulled the covers over herself. She and Sera faced each other. After a few moments, Sera asked, "Wanna talk about it?"
Yang shook her head, "It's just the same stuff as always. Flashbacks of Adam on that night…" Sera nodded, "Well…I'm glad you came to me. Just hope this'll help."
"Me too. But I think it will."
"Why's that, Xiao Long?"
Yang smiled, "Just a hunch." Sera's cheeks colored and she averted her eyes for a moment, "You, uh, wanna sleep?" Yang nodded, "I do."
Then they turned over, back to back and closed their eyes. Sera pressed her head into her pillow and allowed her eyes to flutter closed. Then Yang's voice shook her, "Guess I finally got you to go to bed with me."
Sera laughed and turned her head, "Yeah. Guess you did, Yang."
The brawler smiled to herself and closed her eyes.
. . .
The amnesiac's eyes flew open to the sound of an alarm clock ringing. She turned her head to see sunlight streaming in through the window and groaned. Today was the day she'd leave Patch.
Sera tried to sit up, but something held her down. Looking down to see what the cause of her immobilization is, she saw Yang hanging onto her chest. The blond had her arm wrapped around her and her head buried into the purple-eyed girl. Sera smirked and put a hand on Yang's head. The brawler gave a sigh of content and snuggled into her.
"What," A voice said. "Do you think you're doing to my sister?"
Sera turned to see Ruby standing in the doorway, a playful smirk on her face that betrayed the tone of voice she'd just used. The amnesiac sat up, unintentionally jolting Yang awake. "Um, er- uh- well, you see…" Sera stuttered. Yang looked around in confusion and jumped when she saw her baby sister.
"Ruby!" Yang said with red cheeks. "What do you think you're doing?" Ruby snickered and doubled over with her hands on her knees, "You two were cuddling!" She laughed.
Sera and Yang's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as they looked at each other and stood. "Get out!" They both yelled, and Ruby obliged, still laughing her head off. After the scythe wielder left them, Yang sighed and straightened her clothes.
"That girl…" Yang groaned. Sera gave an embarrassed smile and scratched her head. "Yeah. It was still nice, though." The brawler turned her head to Sera. "Yeah. It was."
"So. Any nightmares?" Sera asked, changing the subject. Yang shook her head, "None. In fact, that was the best sleep I've had for weeks."
The white head smiled at that. "Good. I'm glad it helped after all." Yang nodded, "I just wish… that it wasn't the only good night of sleep I'd have. Since you're leaving today."
Sera stared out the window and into the trees.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to ruin the moment," Yang apologized. Sera turned back to her, "No, no. It's all right. I wish I wasn't leaving too, but…"
"Yeah." Yang said. After a moment, Sera glanced towards the bathroom, "So…I'm gonna take a shower and get ready. See you downstairs for breakfast?"
Yang nodded in response, a small smile appearing on her face. "See you in a bit, Snowball." Then she left, closing the bedroom door behind her.
Sera sighed and ran a hand through her white hair. 'The future ain't looking too great right about now,' She thought, dreading the long hours of walking to come. With another sigh, she picked up the warm clothes she'd laid out the previous day and headed into the bathroom.
After her shower, she stood leaning both hands onto the sink and staring at her own reflection. Sera's eyes flicked down to the tattoos on her body, and she idly rubbed her purple-covered shoulder with a thumb. She didn't remember when, where, or how she'd gotten the flower patterns, but it had to have some sort of meaning. Perhaps she'd look it up on the…
Then she slapped her own forehead. She couldn't look it up. All communication services were down.
With a heavy sigh, she began to get dressed. In no time at all, she was wearing a thick hooded black jacket and black pants designed for cold weather. She pulled on her red leather coat she'd worn when she got, well, stabbed, a pair of warm black boots, and a pair of black fingerless gloves that happened to be extremely warm. She wore the black jacket unzipped a little to reveal a white V-neck shirt. She silently thanked Qrow for grabbing her clothes from Beacon.
After making sure she was dressed appropriately, she put on her leather gun belt, grabbed her pack and Crimson Eclipse, then went downstairs. She rolled up the sleeves on her jacket and coat as she descended the stairs. Sera immediately saw everyone else in the house sitting around the kitchen table, smiling and laughing together. Ruby's bag and Crescent Rose were laying on the floor near the front door, so Sera did the same with her bag and sword.
She entered the kitchen, and she could see Yang's eyes light up.
"Hey, kid. Take a seat and grab yourself some bacon. Your friends'll be here any minute." Qrow said. Sera took the seat between Yang and Ruby and loaded her plate.
"So, today's the day." Tai commented. Ruby glanced down, "Yep. Today's the day." Tai gave a smile and flicked her head up, "Hey, chin up. It's not like you'll be gone forever. Plus, this was your idea."
Ruby giggled and took a sip of milk from a glass, a white mustache left behind afterwards. Wiping her mouth, Ruby said, "We'll be there and back before you know it. How long could the trip be anyway? Like, two weeks?"
Qrow and Tai looked at each other. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Qrow chuckled. Sera didn't like the way he said that. She then felt something on her leg and looked down to see Yang's hand on her knee. Sera smiled and pressed her shoulder against the blonde's.
Seeing this, Ruby blurted something out, "Sera and Yang slept together last night."
Taiyang spewed milk across the room. After he collected himself and wiped his mouth, he looked incredulously at the pair. "You WHAT?"
"It wasn't like that!" Sera exclaimed while Yang gave her sister the death stare. Ruby hid herself under the table and Yang sighed. "I had a nightmare, so I went to Sera's room. She let me sleep in there with her for the night. Nothing happened."
Qrow was too busy trying to hold in his laughter at Sera's face while Taiyang looked like he was gonna blow. Then he looked down at Yang's bandaged stub and his expression faltered.
"I believe you. That just…was a shocker," Tai sighed with a chuckle. Sera and Yang took a deep breath of relief.
"But," Tai said, gaining their attention. "I know there's something with you two. I don't know what, but I'd know the looks you give each other from anywhere."
Ruby only listened with a lost expression. She wasn't sure what her dad meant.
"Just know, that if there is something, I support it." He finished. That took the pair of huntresses by surprise. "Really?" Yang asked.
"Of course," Tai smiled. "I always kinda knew your, ah, preference. At least, I had my suspicions."
Yang smiled and rushed to hug her dad, knocking the huntsman over. They laughed and got back upright. Sera only sat there with a lopsided smile while Ruby still look lost.
"I feel the same, Firecracker. You could do far worse than Snowball," Qrow added. A cup flew out of nowhere, and Qrow nonchalantly caught it with ease before it could hit his face.
"You're my daughter, and I'll support whatever you want to do. Besides, I like Sera. Especially after that incident in town, and the way she handles Qrow here. She… kinda reminds me of Ruby's mom. Just without the, well, Ruby." Tai smiled.
"Hey! …Wait, was that a compliment?" Ruby said. Everyone laughed at the lost younger huntress. Sera could only smile as she listened to Taiyang talk. He was like his daughters. He took her in without a second thought and treated her like family. She's only known him for a month or so, but she just realized that he was the closest thing she's had to a father this entire time. She also had a feeling that this was true even when taking her forgotten past into account.
Sera wiped a tear from her eye and grinned. "Thank you, Taiyang. You've been nothing but good to me since I've been here, and I'm grateful for it."
"What about me, kid? I've known you for far longer, and you've never gotten all mushy with me," Qrow snickered. Sera turned to the huntsman, "Cause I actually like Tai."
Qrow faked being hurt by that, clutching at his chest. Sera rolled her eyes and looked over at Yang, who beamed at her.
Then a knock came to the door, and everyone turned to see blond hair thorough the door's window.
Within a few minutes, everyone stood outside, in front of the house. Sera and Ruby had their bags on and weapons in hand. Team JNPR stood farther down the path, waiting for them to say goodbye.
JNPR looked different than at Beacon. Nora had longer hair, as did Ren. But his reached down past his shoulders. Jaune looked about the same, unsurprisingly. But Pyrrha, she definitely looked different. She wore her hair down, for one, but her gold hairpiece was still in place. She wore a red coat with gold trim over her armor and a pair of warm-looking pants to match. In fact, the rest of the team was dressed similarly. They wore heavy coats over their new, slightly modified outfits.
Even Ruby wore changed into something different now. Her outfit resembled her old combat skirt but was drastically different.
Qrow put a hand on Sera's shoulder and gave her a nod, then he was promptly tackled by Ruby in a giant bear hug. Tai chuckled and stood in front of Sera. He smiled and stuck his hand out for her to shake, but Sera rushed forward and embraced the huntsman. It took him and everyone else by surprise, but he returned the hug and rustled Sera's white hair with one hand. After she pulled away, she smiled up at him, then he nodded and went to say goodbye to Ruby.
Then Sera and Yang faced each other. She smiled at the amnesiac, "Well, this is it."
"Yep. Well, see you later, Xiao Long." Sera gave a wave and turned away. It was a joke, of course, but it got opposite reaction she expected. She thought Yang would punch her or something, but the blond grabbed her and spun her around, wrapping her arm around her and hugging tightly. So tight, in fact, that Sera could feel her ribs cracking.
"If you ever pull something like that again…" Yang smiled, her eyes flashing red.
"Yep. Yeah. Got it." Sera choked out, them the brawler set her down. The amnesiac coughed and leaned forward, resting her hands onto her knees. Then, Yang grabbed her by the chin, faced her upwards, then leaned forward.
Ruby gasped. Sera heard team JNPR freaking out. Qrow and Tai smiled warmly in response.
The kiss lasted several seconds, but as soon as Yang pulled away, she pulled Sera into another hug. A good one this time, not a fatal one. She pressed something into Sera's hand, but the amnesiac wasn't concerned with it at the moment. She simply enjoyed what was happening.
"Don't die out there, or I'll kill you," Yang told her. Sera laughed into her neck and squeezed her tighter, "Yes ma'am. Can do."
Then they pulled away, and Sera looked down to see a familiar gold bracelet in her hand. Her eyes widened and she met Yang's eyes. "This is Ember Celica."
Yang shook her head, "Technically it's half of Ember Celica. The, erm, useless half." She said, moving her dismembered limb for emphasis. "I won't be needing it anymore, so I want you to have it. Even if you don't use it, you can just wear it. If you want, of course."
Sera could hardly believe her eyes. Yang was giving her one of her two gauntlets, which she loved dearly. With a determined grin, Sera slipped the weapon onto her wrist, "You got it. I won't let anything happen to it, Yang."
"You better not, Snowball." The blonde grinned.
"It's time to head out, kid. Your friends are getting impatient." Qrow said, and sure enough, Nora looked like she was losing her mind. Sera nodded, then turned away from them with Ruby beside her.
"Let's go then, shall we Rubes?" Sera smiled. Ruby grinned, "Lets." Then the two of them began walking towards team JNPR. With a final wave and a smile, Sera said goodbye to Yang and her family.
"The party's just getting started," Sera grinned.
Yeah, yeah. Looks like Sera and Yang are a "thing" finally. Couldn't help it to be honest, had to throw in a bit of fanservice. And the revolver that Sera now has is basically one of those big .44 Magnums, in case you were wondering. Inspiration for its design came from playing Red Dead Redemption 2, but the body of the gun is basically Ace of Spades or The Last Word from Destiny. So imagine a black Last Word with silver wave engravings on the barrel and cylinder.
Also the whole "It's high noon" thing was more of a reference to the Jotaro vs. DIO fight in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The dub, because that's when Matthew Mercer (Jotaro) says that line. And no, I do not prefer JoJo dubs over subs. Just in case someone was about to get triggered over that.